Vidiot

A big deal was made of the show's switch this year from airing on
Bravo to Lifetime, the "entertainment for women" network. You'd think
it wouldn't matter, but this season accordingly fell flat. Other than
DirecTV not offering Lifetime in high definition, which left the
picture out-of-proportion and blurry on a big screen, the titling,
music and tempo all felt on par with seasons one through five. I read
blogs blaming a new production company and a lack of quality judges,
which are valid observations, but I say the season's major letdown was
less-than-charismatic contestants.

If you've never watched, 16 aspiring fashion designers live together
while competing in design-then-construct-clothing challenges. When the
contestant roster is pared down to three or four, the finalists spend
several months designing a 12-piece runway collection to be shown at
Bryant Park's Fashion Week, the Super Bowl of textiles.

This type of reality game show is highly dependent on the
personalities of its players. Supermodel/host Heidi Klum is never
exciting, but she champions catch phrases --"I'm sorry, but you are
out. Auf Wiedersehen."--so stewardship of the show's "soul" falls to
mentor Tim Gunn. He shows up to outline challenges and visits the
workroom each episode, offering feedback and encouragement. He's an odd
mixture of immaculately dressed and teddy bear-huggable and
consistently the best thing from season to season.

The show's contestant pools are known for larger-than-life personas,
divas and goofballs. This year, no such luck. A single space cadet was
eliminated first, leaving a bunch of temperate women, tearfully
effeminate men and one raging bitch--eventual winner Irina
Shabayeva.

It was no surprise to see 27-year-old New York City designer
Shabayeva win since her execution had been a step ahead of the
competition, but what a downer when a villain emerges victorious. She
spent the better part of the show mocking others' designs and accusing
them of copying her.

In prior years, Project Runway has been a decent show for
both sexes. Clearly, the channels on which it's aired suggest women
enjoy it, but the competitive nature and allure of weekly cuts have
assured that I, a manly man, will continue to be addicted.

With season six complete, it's back over to Bravo on Wednesday
nights to catch the last few episodes of the Project Runway of
cooking shows: Top Chef, another of my reality favorites. Or, it
became a favorite after I discovered that Survivor's new
subtitle each season--as in, Survivor: Gabon--means I'm never
able to properly set my DVR to record it. So, sorry, CBS; it's fashion
and food for me from here on out.